Francis Drouin, member of Parliament, made the announcement today in Embrun, Ontario.

“Canadian farmers face risk every day and it is essential they have the necessary tools to better understand and manage risk. The recent flooding in Eastern Ontario and Quebec, for example, shows the need to help farmers more effectively manage risk, so that they can be stronger, more innovative and more competitive.”

AgriShield will allow producers to assess these risks and the potential impacts on their farm in real-time. In a flooding situation, for example, producers could determine their degree of risk, the impacts the flood would have on their farms, and if there are any ways to mitigate the risk, such as drainage or insurance.

AgriShield is a new online resource to help farmers manage uncontrollable risks and challenges like pests, flooding, disease and extreme weather events.

The tool is also a way to bring awareness to the importance of risk management, according to Heather Watson, executive director for Farm Management Canada.

“Less than one third of Canada’s farmers have a risk management plan. Our ultimate goal is to increase the awareness and adoption of risk management practices and planning as part of the farm management process and cultivate a more comprehensive understanding and approach to assessing and managing risk within the agricultural sector.”

The benchmarking data in the tool will be useful for not only farmers but also for agriculture businesses and commodity groups, says Watson, who also mentions the tool is still in its early stage of development.

“First and foremost, we want farmers to be able to use this tool directly to identify, assess, prioritize and plan their risk management activities. With a better understanding of risk, farm managers are more likely to take the right risks, mitigate the bad, and continue to profit. The tool will not only allow farmers to identify, prioritize and plan for risk, but will also equip farmers with a wide variety of options available to manage risk.”